Page 88 of Taming Nikki

Her eyebrows shot up, and she tried to shove me away from her. “What the hell, Vitale?”

The adrenaline from listening to that phone call alone made me reckless and borderline violent. My grip tightened on her arm, and I fisted her hair when she struggled against me.

“I warned you what would happen. When the fuck are you going to learn?”

“Woah, woah. Calm down, Vitale. She did the right thing coming here. I’m honestly surprised she made it as far as she did. You’re one hell of a driver,” Bulldozer complimented her. “Ever thought of getting on a bike?”

Nikki’s lips twitched, like this was all a fucking game, and I lost my temper. I released my grip on her hair, yanking her over to the car. “Let’s go. Now.”

She dug her heels in, scowling at me. “What the fuck is your problem?”

“My problem? You’re my problem!”

Her head jerked back, and a hurt look flashed across her face, but I was too worked up to dial it back. She nearly fucking died because she was too damn reckless.

“Get in the fucking car, Nikki. We’re going to the courthouse.”

“Like hell we are! You said you’d drop the deal!”

“Deals change! And you can’t be trusted to be on your own! Jesus, Nikki! You went chasing a fucking shooteron your own! You’re not a fucking part of this life! Why don’t you fucking get that?”

I knew I screwed up when I saw her shut down. All of it, the snark, the sass, the fire in her eyes that I fell for, it all went out and her face clouded over. When I yanked her toward the car again, she went willingly, dropping into the backseat without a word. I slammed the door behind her, marching towards the driver’s seat, when Bulldozer cut me off.

“Hold up a minute.”

I sighed heavily. There was no way the cops wouldn’t hear about this. And Nikki was right in the middle of it. I needed to get her the hell out of here before they came sniffing around. I didn't have time for pleasantries. The only reason I stuck around was because he did me a favor. Without him, Nikki wouldn’t be alive right now.

“Look, I understand you’re upset. If it was my ol’ lady who’d been chased down by a group of fuckers like that, I think I’d be losin’ my mind too. But she said they went after her sisters. She reacted. And when shit got real, she was smart and brought the fucker to me. Maybe take that into account before you do whatever you have planned right now. Women like that, with that kind of fire, they’re hard to come by. You don’t want her walkin’ away.”

“She doesn’t get a fucking choice in the matter,” I growled. After that, I wasn’t letting her out of my sight for even a second. I couldn’t risk losing her.

This was exactly what I didn’t want. I was obsessed, and irrational, and it took the entire drive back to her papa’s place for me to feel like I could think straight. I knew I screwed up screaming at her like that, but that kind of fear messed with my head. I pulled up in front, scrubbing my hands over my face after I parked.

“Nikki, I–”

The back door slammed, and she was gone before I could get a word out to apologize.

Shit.

* * *

Chasing after Nikki was fruitless since she had a lead on me. Her bedroom door slammed in my face and I heard it lock before I could even reach for the handle. I debated kicking the thing down, but I doubted it’d help in the moment. And when Morelli marched up to me, I knew I had to meet with him. He needed to know what happened.

We went back to his office, and I lit up a cigarette before I even sat down. Morelli sat across from me, a deep scowl on his face.

“What the hell happened?”

“She decided to go after the enemy by herself. Got fucking lucky that she wasn’t killed.”

“Who was it?”

I shook my head. I didn’t actually know the answer to that. I didn’t stop and ask the whole story. And I promised Nikki I wouldn’t tell her papa about her business.

“Was the enemy one of hers?”

My gaze jerked to his, and I frowned. “What do you mean?”

He rolled his eyes. “She didn’t used to be so good at covering her tracks. I’m aware of what she does. I made attempts to stop her in the past, but as you’re well aware, Nikki doesn’t take no for an answer. I’ve learned to just prepare for the worst.”

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